The beloved Kings Plaza Diner, a Mill Basin mainstay for 35 years, will close, leaving a gaping hole in the stomach of southern Brooklyn.
“It’s the best diner,” said Sharon Finkle. “I come from Staten Island to eat here.”
The closing of the diner, at Avenue U one block west of Flatbush Avenue and the Kings Plaza Mall, had been rumored for months, but patrons simply refused to believe it.
“I’d heard the rumors, so this is terrible,” said Anne Palone, who gets breakfast and lunch at the Diner every week.
Another customer put her outrage in the most basic of terms: “Where am I going to get my corned beef sandwiches?” said Silvana Gutierrez.
The land under the diner has long been coveted by developers, including one who reportedly sought to build a Bed Bath and Beyond superstore.
Diner owner Nick Stathos would not comment about the closure. Last year, he sold the land to Sigma Preferred Equities, but that company could not be reached for comment.
The end of the dinner rush for Kings Plaza comes after a legendary run. Not only was the diner popular with locals, but with out-of-town reporters, too. In 2007, the Daily News, a Manhattan newspaper, named it “Diner of the Year.”
